Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations

   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #1  

newbury

Super Star Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
14,095
Location
From Vt, in Va, retiring to MS
Tractor
Kubota's - B7610, M4700
In https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/382798-good-drill-bits.html the focus was for drilling SS.
I'm looking for buying decent single size, like 1/8, 1/4, etc. in quantities of a dozen for less than a $1@. Drilling pilot holes in wood and sheet metal.

There's like 12 PCS, 1/4", HSS Black and Gold Coated Twist Drill Bits, Metal drill, ideal for drilling on mild steel, copper, Aluminum, Zinc alloy etc. Pack in Plastic Bag - - Amazon.com , but I don't trust the reviews, and I found a site SDS Masonry Drills | Drill America that sells their own brand but shipping is about the cost of the bits unless I can find $100 worth to buy. I can't tell the quality of their bits and don't want to buy $100 worth of poor bits.

/edit - And I should have put bulk in the title, I don't want to buy an entire "set" when I really only need 3 sizes.
 
Last edited:
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #2  
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #3  
You won't get much of a drill bit for a dollar or less. Just search Ebay or Amazon and choose what fits in your price range, I suspect they will all be about the same quality.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #4  
To go a bit further, try buying one or two cobalt drill bits in the $5 to $10 range. I suspect you will find one of those will outlast 12 of the $1 or less bits.

I buy quite a few bits for the company I work at. The bits we get will range from $10 to $45 each. We learned a long time ago that cheap tooling gets very expensive.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #5  
They are all good IF you know how to sharpen the dull ones.:D
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #6  
It's what I should do (and I have a drill DR. I don't use).

Get a fine stone on your bench grinder, a good light, pair of reading glasses and learn how to sharpen them. Takes but a minute.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #7  
I have had good luck with the following brands, they are all USA made:
Chicago Latrobe
Cle-Line
Cleveland
Montana Twist Drill
Norseman
Triumph
Viking

I was also pleasantly surprised by the durability of a MasterForce colbalt bit I bought at Menards for an odd job.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #8  
I have had good luck with Dewalt Cobalt steel bits. I drill i-beams and angle iron all the time for work. Cobalt bits are the only way to go if you will be drilling metals.
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #9  
I usually find that buying a set is much cheaper than buying a few loose bits. Home Depot always seems to have decent Dewalt & Milwaukee sets on sale
 
   / Good drill bits for general purpose - any recommendations #10  
I usually find that buying a set is much cheaper than buying a few loose bits. Home Depot always seems to have decent Dewalt & Milwaukee sets on sale

M42 cobalt steel bits are the best, but I very much doubt that Home Depot sells that quality.
 

Tractor & Equipment Auctions

2000 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner MVP-ER Transit Passenger Bus (A48081)
2000 Thomas Built...
Diesel Fuel Tank (A50860)
Diesel Fuel Tank...
UNUSED Grey Corrugated Polycarbonate Roof Panels (A50860)
UNUSED Grey...
2019 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV (A48082)
2019 Chevrolet...
2019 Takeuchi TL8 Track Skid Steer (A50860)
2019 Takeuchi TL8...
DeWalt Grinder (A50860)
DeWalt Grinder...
 
Top